Heel and attaching plate therefor



Aug. 26, 1924.

w. BUCK HEEL AND -ATTACHING PLATE THEREFOR Filed July 16 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gmm ro;

Aug. 26, 1924. 1,506,289

A. W. BUCK HEEL AND ATTACHING PLATE THEREFOR Filed July 16 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Patented Aug. 26, 1924.,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR W. BUCK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T0 OINDERELLA HEEL COR PORATION, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

HEEL AND ATTACHING PLATE THEREFOR.

Application filed. July 16, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR W. BUCK, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Heels and Attaching Plates Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention consists in i1nprovements in detachable heels for shoes, it being the dominant object of the invention to provide a light metal heel of such novel construction as will permit of its quick and simple, yet positive, connect-ion to the shoe proper, and which will be, by reason .of such connection, rendered immovable in any direction with relation to the shoe notwithstanding the application of severe stress or wear thereupon, and hence providing a durable and stable attachment.

It is, also, an object of this invention to provide avdetachable metal shoe heel capable of being accurately engaged with the heel seat provided on the outsole of the shoe, whereby the bordering edges of the enlarged upper portion of said heel may be alined or registered with the adjacent edges of the outsole, thus adding to the neat appearance of the finished shoe, as wellas aiding materially the comfort with which the shoe may be worn, due to proper support of the instep.

A. further aim of the invention is to provide a heel having the hollow lower or lift receiving portion thereof formed with means for engaging and securing the plug or nail-block positively therein, affording a durable and reliable anchoring means for the subsequently attached treadlift.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts whereever they occur,

Figure 1 is a disassembled perspective view of the improved heel and the securing plate therefor, the :method of marking the hee'lseat of the outsole with such securing plate being shown therein;

Fi ure 2.1s1a fra mentar vertical lO11 '1 b b p I b tudmal section through a shoe with the Serial No. 398,747.

improved heel applied thereto and partly shown in section.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section through a portion of the shoe and heel illustrating the relative position ing of the securing plate and the heel shell on the heelseat of the outsole;

Figure 4: is a top-plan view of the heel and the securing plate;

Figure 5 discloses a fragment of a shoe provided with the improved heel, the lower portion of which is shown in section to illustrate the engagement of the treadlift therewith Figure 6 is a similar view showing a modified form of treadlift, the lift in this embodiment being formed of rubber as is the anchoring plug therefor; and

Figure 7 is a horizontal section taken on the line 'T- Z of Figure 5. i

The heel portion 1 of a shoe is provided with the usual outsole having a heel receiving seat 2 formed or provided thereon, the outsole being secured in the usual manner to the shoe upper. The heel constituting the invention may be stated to comprehend a metal shell 3, preferably formed of aluminum or metal possessing similar properties or qualities, having formed in the upper enlarged portion thereof and on the rear wall of the same a longitudinally in clined channel-way 4, having its opposite side walls undercut or otherwise formed to provide grooves or ways 5, the purpose of which will be hereinafter evident.

As means for securing the metal shell 3 to the heelseat 2 of the shoe outsole, I employ an oval securing plate 7, concavoconvex in cross-section in order to insure of snug engagement with such heelseat, having a down-struck obliquely disposed tongue 8 formed thereon, while openings 9 are formed in said plate, preferably at points thereabout in proximity to the margin of the same to permit of the engagement of nails therethrough whereby the device may be securedinposition upon said heelseat. It is to be noted that the forward portion of this securing plate 7 is preferably cut away as at 10 in order to lighten the same, thus providing a trans verse bar 11.

On the face of this bar,

spaced lugs 12 are formed and serve as punches or markers, the purpose of which will be hereinafter described.

A nail-block or plug 1 1 is provided and is of such size and shape in cross-section as will effect snug engagement thereof in the hollow lower portion of the shell 3, said block or plug being secured against undue movement when once engaged in the heel by reason of the formation of the roughened portions 15 on the inner walls of the shel In this connection, it may be Well to state that in making the shell 3, the same is preferably cast in molds of two pieces which are then joined causing portions of the metal adjacent said jointure to be displaced in such a'manner as will form the roughened surfaces 15. By taking advantage of these roughened surfaces as just described, it will be appreciated that the nail-block 14 need not be provided with any other form of fastening means. Engageable over the lower end of the heel shell is the ordinary treadlift 16, which, as will be understood, is of a shape corresponding to the. contour of said lower end of the heel, having its outer edges flared as is usual. and also having nails 17 driven therethrough into the nail-block 1 1 in order that it will be permanently secured or anchored upon the shell.

In Figure 6, I have illustrated a form of rubber treadlift at 18. This-lift is preferably formed with an integral plug 19 on its upper side, which plug is of a size and shape in cross-section such as will insure its snug engagement in the hollow lower portion of the metal heel shell 3 as shown in said Fig ure 6. Hence, when the plug 19 is driven into the heel, it will be compressed to a cer- 'tain degree, and, further, the roughened surfaces 15 formed by the joining of the several sections of the mold for the heel shell will be engaged therewith and thereby afford effectual means for positively securing the rubber treadlift 18 in position upon the lower end of the heel shell. Although the securing means afiorded by the snug engagement of the plug in the hollow lower end of the heel shell and its engagement with said roughened surfaces will usually prove sufficient to prevent displacement of the treadlift, I may and preferably do apply a suitable cement to those parts of the plug and lift contacting with the shell, the cement being such as will oxidize and thus produce a positive and durable connection between the lift, the plug, and the metal shell.

In employing the improved heel, to secure same to the heelseat portion 2 of the shoe outsole, the securing plate is placed in the hollow upper portion of the metal shell 3, with its obliquely-down-struck tongue 8 engaging at its opposite side edges in the grooves or ways 5 afforded by the channel way l and resting therein, partly on the shoulders formed by the arrangement of said arms 4; on the inner slde of said shell. Thus the shell is engaged with the heelseat 2, and,

when properly positioned with relation to the adjacent marginal portions thereof, a sharp blow is delivered thereto to cause the forming of impressions or marks 13 on the adjacent face of said heelseat 2 by engagement of the spaced lugs 12 carried on the bar 11 of the securing plate therewith. The securing plate 7 is now disengaged from the shell and is relocated upon the heelseat 2 so that the lugs 12 will register or engage with the markings 13 now formed on said heelseat. With the plate so positioned, brads 20 are engaged in the openings 9 therein and driven into the outsole, thus securii'ig the plate thereon. At this time, the shell 3 is moved into engagement with the heelseat 2, causing the obliquely-down-struck tongue 8 of the securing plate '2' slidably to enter the undercut groove 5 formed on the inner side of the rear wall thereof. The upper or en larged portion of the shell is now forced upon the heelseat to the desired extent, and, when so positioned, other brads 21 are passed through openings 22 formed in the upper portion of the heel-breast, these brads being driven into the adjacent portion of the outsole and, obviously, serving to lock said metal shell against lateral or longitudinal movement with relation to the heelseat portion of said outsole. Since lateral or longitudinal movement of the metal shell 3 will be prevented by reason of the anchorage of the brads 22 therethrough, it will be, also, understood that any attempt at vertical movement of said shell with relation to the heelseat will be, also, prevented by reason of the engagement of the obliquely-downstruck tongue in the correspondingly disposed undercut groove 5 formed therein. Consequently, an effective form of connection' between the heelseat 2 and the metal shell 3 will be provided, the connection being such as will successfully withstand the stress applied to the heel treadlift of the shoe with out liability of loosening to any degree.

Manifestly, the constructions shown are capable of considerable modification, and such modification as is within the scope of my claims, I consider within the spirit of my invention.

In most heels of this type heretofore known, a pronounced hollow underlies the heelseat 2, thus depriving it of the support that it derives from a wood or leather heel. Such support is replaced in the present metal heel by plate 7, which at one end rests on the archsupport at the top of the breast of the heel and at its other end bytongue 8 resting in groove 5.

Having thus described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a shoe including the heel seat portion thereof, a hollow heel having a rearwardly inclined wall, said heel being provided with downwardly inclined passageways, and an obliquely disposed tongue depending from said heel seat portion of the shoe, separated portions of said tongue being adapted to be inserted downwardly into said inclined passageways in said heel to engage the 'alls of said inclined passageways.

in a shoe including the heel-seat portion thereof, a hollow heel having a rearwardly inclined wall, a channel-way formed inwardly of the rearwardly inclined wall of said heel and having its opposed side walls undercut, and an obliquely disposed tongue depending from the said heel seat portion of the shoe and adapted to. be inserted down-- wardly of said channel-way and have its opposite side edges engaged with the undercut side wall thereof.

3. In a shoe including the heel seat portion thereof, a hollow heel having a rearwardly inclined wall, a channel-way formed inwardly of the inclined wall of said heel and having its opposite side walls undercut, a heel attaching plate secured on the said heel seat of the shoe, and a tongue struck downwardly at an oblique angle from said plate and adapted to be inserted in said channel-way and have its opposite side edges engaged with the undercut side walls thereof.

4. In a shoe including the heel seat portion thereof, a hollow heel open at its upper side and having arearwardly inclined wall, a channel-way formed inwardly of the inclined wall of said heel and having its opposite side walls undercut, a heel attaching plate secured on the said heel seat of the shoe and adapted to have the open side of the heel engaged thereover, and a tongue struck downwardly at an oblique angle from said plate and adapted to be inserted in said channel-way and have its opposite side edges engaged with the undercut side walls thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afliX my signature.

ARTHUR "W. BUCK. 

